Efforts to dredge the pond at Greenwood Park in Des Moines came to an abrupt halt Friday afternoon, due to excessive rainfall this summer.The project, estimated at $350,000, continued smoothly until the mud became a problem, with a giant backhoe rolling onto a soft spot in the pond bottom and started sinking.WATCH VIDEO HERE. “This is fascinating stuff,” said Sarah Kehlenbeck, of West Des Moines. “That’s a testament to how much rain we’ve had this summer right there.”“Looks like it’s going to be quite the ordeal,” said E.C. Muelhaupt, of Des Moines.“Trying to drag that thing out on its side doesn’t seem like a winning proposition.”A bulldozer has made some progress pulling on a temporary road of crushed concrete fashioned in a matter of hours by a parade of dump trucks.A cable, though, broke and workers were slipping and getting stuck in the mud.“Imagine your children getting in that and then coming home,” said Kehlenbeck.A worker with Corell Contractor, the West Des Moines company hired for the project, said it’s not unusual for machinery to get stuck during excavating projects.He said he’s confident the machinery will be fine once pulled out, but it will be a headache.“It’s been fun. I’m sorry, it’s good, clean Iowa fun,” Kehlenbeck said.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

Efforts to dredge the pond at Greenwood Park in Des Moines came to an abrupt halt Friday afternoon, due to excessive rainfall this summer.

The project, estimated at $350,000, continued smoothly until the mud became a problem, with a giant backhoe rolling onto a soft spot in the pond bottom and started sinking.